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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The year 2020 will go down in history books for many reasons. But all of them reminded us that it’s not only what happens to us, but also how we respond.
I’m proud of how the Greater Green Bay Chamber responded to the challenges posed by COVID-19 as it wreaked havoc in so many aspects of everyone’s lives. The Chamber pivoted quickly to respond to the changing needs of businesses, their employees and the community at large. As we look to the new fiscal year, I look forward to how we will continue to a) reflect and b) respond meaningfully during a continued time of uncertainty.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, the Chamber remained true to its core. Yes, we had to table many previous plans to respond and provide deliverables in the thick of COVID-19. But throughout, we were careful not to stray from our mission to strengthen member businesses by enhancing economic and workforce development, resulting in improved quality of life in our community and region. As we integrate and shift into a “new normal,” our team is continuing to keep that mission front of mind and not just a slogan on a wall. Our leadership team has resumed work on the Chamber strategic plan, evaluating the plan to ensure the priorities and strategies we outlined six months ago are still the right ones at this time. Doing this intensive exercise was important pre-COVID-19, and it’s just as important – if not more so – to do so now. Our leadership team is figuring out ways to be nimble enough to flex to meet our members’ and stakeholders’ needs where they – you – are. And we continue to engage the community in executing the Greater Green Bay Economic Development Strategic Plan.
If you reach out to any staff members, board members or other stakeholders intimately involved with the Chamber for any length of time, they’ll be the first to acknowledge that the last nine years under my leadership has been a continued journey of reflection, assessment and meaningful, purposeful and calculated change. It’s ironic that a 138-year-old organization’s culture is that status quo is NOT OK, and why would it be? Our businesses can’t live by the status quo, and we are no different. You have our commitment in the year ahead that we will not simply do what we’ve done because it’s the status quo. Instead, we will continue to figure out how we do business on behalf of business and how we can continue to act as good stewards of your investment. We’re very conscious that people give us their precious time and investment, and is crucial that we never forget to listen. Anytime we engage a volunteer, we have the opportunity to hear a voice representing their business or industry sector. Since we engage more than 1,000 volunteers in a given year, that’s a lot of opportunities to listen. Our entire team is attuned to listening and bringing the information back to the organization. A great example is how we pivoted during COVID-19, calling every one of our nearly 1,200 members at two different times to learn what their hardships and needs were. We also distributed a Back to Business Survey to gauge members’ needs as they began to re-open or resume some sense of a new normal. This is in addition to other ways the team pivoted to respond to needs you voiced, from industry-specific roundtable sessions, to timely virtual events on the virus and changed work dynamic, to a need for a more inclusive online job board. I’m proud to reflect that our team stepped up and responded. Our outgoing board chair, Steve Baue, estimates we delivered
the equivalent of two years’ worth of programming and other work in the span of a few months – all because that’s what our members and stakeholders needed and deserved.
As we venture into a new fiscal year, I’m very excited we will continue to enhance member value and the member experience with the implementation of a new database system that will drive so many of our online interactions with members. This will include how they register for events, view and update their information in the online directory and access other benefits of membership. That will be accompanied by the launch of a new, more user-friendly website that’s structured to more intuitively serve different pockets of stakeholders. Together, the database and the website forthcoming are about staying relevant, purposeful and user-friendly in this increasingly virtually-based world. I also look forward to continuing to evaluate opportunities for engagement and participation; to what degree those can be in person is still to be determined. We look forward to the day we don’t have to think about things like that; but in the meantime, look for us to continue to respond to what you, our members, share is important to you in this time of unparalleled change. Thank you to continuing to believe in our mission and my team, and for continuing to invest in the Chamber.
